Lakers Run A Three Point Play For…Pau Gasol? | NBA Playbook

Lakers Run A Three Point Play For…Pau Gasol?

After a series of really bone-headed plays where we saw two fouls that shouldn’t of happened (Martell Webster’s foul to give when the Blazers didn’t have one/Derek Fisher’s foul on a three point shot), the Lakers were down three points with about three seconds left.  The Lakers have 4 three point threats on the court in Sasha Vujacic, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, and of course Kobe Bryant.  Instead of running a play for one of those guys, Phil Jackson decided to run one for Pau Gasol who was 0-4 from the three-point line before the play started:

The play starts with Fisher running off of a double screen set by Pau Gasol and Sasha Vujacic.

With Fisher running along the baseline, the Lakers were hoping that the Blazers would focus their attention on him.  However, the Blazers do a good job of switching the screens, and Fisher is blanketed.

After Fisher uses Gasol’s screen, Bryant comes down and sets a screen for Gasol.  It is a pick the picker situation, and Gasol gets free because everyone is focused on Bryant.

Gasol is actually open, however Odom doesn’t throw a good pass.  Odom’s pass causes Gasol to take a few extra steps to make the catch, and by the time he squares up his defender is in his face.  This forces Gasol into a miss and the Lakers lose the game.  Here it is in real time:

Like I said before, this is a pretty good play that Jackson drew up.  I like the idea of uses Bryant as a decoy (just like he is used here), but to run this play for Gasol?  Why do that (everything that I have read yesterday says that Phil acknowledged drawing it up for Gasol, but not why)?  Maybe it was just an “in the moment” thing, however this play would have worked just as well if it was Ron Artest or Sasha Vujacic in that first screener position.

12
Apr 2010
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POSTED IN 4th Quarters LA Lakers Portland Trailblazers
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  • http://johnharrisbasketball.com John

    What an awful pass.

  • http://khandorssportsblog.com/wordpress khandor

    Holding Bryant at the FT Line to set the clean-up screen, in this instance, after Gasol set the 1st screen for Fisher in the baseline staggered screens, would have yielded a more clean look for Gasol’s “catch & shoot 3PT shot attempt” at the top of the key … especially, if Vujacic would then have been used to set a flare screen for Kobe, as well, at the Left Elbow.

    Although the actual pass from Odom was far from ideal, having Bryant set the down screen for Gasol that deep in the lane is what allowed Aldridge the time to recover out to the top of the key in a position to bother Pau’s shot attempt.

  • schu

    I feel like Phil Jackson was trying to draw up a play that was appropriate to the situation. IE, he saw all the dumb plays happening and thought it would be amusing for it to end on a Gasol 3.

  • santiago calva

    @khandor

    the screen had to be set deep into the lane for 2 reasons, first and foremost, jackson was probably anticipating the switch, ensuring pau a better look, as he would have easily shot over a guard, and second, because had the screen been set any higher, it would have forced pau about 5 feet from the 3pt line just to get separation enough to catch it.. we all know the last thing pau needed was a longer attempt. if this play was gonna work at all, it was if both of those things swung the lakers way

  • http://khandorssportsblog.com/wordpress khandor

    Santiago,

    If the “Switch” occurred between Bryant’s defender and Gasol’s defender, then, it is no advantage, whatsoever, to have that screen set deeper/lower in the lane … as it actually gives the guard/forward defending Kobe EVEN MORE time and space to recover out to Gasol at the top of the key in a way which would allow him to: A. Deny/deflect/interrupt Odom’s pass to Pau, or B. Effectively bother Pau’s 3PT shot attempt.

    It is an inaccurate observation to suggest that setting this clean-up screen at the FT Line would have forced Gasol out higher on his initial catch.

    [NOTE: If the Switch out happens then the shooter would/should know to turn his Pop Out cut to the top of the key position into a Flare Cut towards the Top Left position on the 3PT line.]

    What actually forced Gasol out higher was Coach McMillan’s decision to put Marcus Camby on the inbounder and not have him “Sag Off” to double-team whoever caught the initial entry pass on the strong side of the floor + the deep location of the down screen, in the first place.

  • Rey

    Santiago is right….well said man.

  • mike

    Also gotta say, this play would’ve worked much better against a traditional Center. Aldridge is very fast, athletic, and long. A normal center may have been too slow to properly contest if the pass was on point, Aldridge was going to be all over Gasol regardless.

    BTW Santiago, if they switched that Kobe and Pau screen, it might’ve been a harder attempt for Gasol. Nic Batum is 6’9 with very long arms and he’s a very good defender. You’re not going to get a good look against him, especially from a big man who can’t make space for himself off the dribble.